The last half of the twentieth century, and particularly the last two decades, has been characterized by rapid changes in the travel industry. One example of the changes is the growth of the airline business that has resulted in the proliferation of travel agencies and other travel information groups that require access to large volumes of data in a “real time” environment. This growth has led to many technological advancements in computer reservation systems (CRS), also known as Global Distribution Systems (GDS), for the travel industry. The terms Global Distribution System (GDS) and Computer Reservation System (CRS) will be used interchangeably herein. The GDS is a computer network that provides travel agents and other travel information groups with inventory access related to hotel, condominium, rental car, airline and the like. Examples of such inventory systems include the SABRE system, Amadeus, Galileo/Apollo, System One, and Worldspan. Traditionally, travel agents use a computer that connects directly to a GDS company, such as SABRE or Apollo.
Unfortunately, a direct connection between the travel offices and the GDS typically created a reliance on the GDS, thereby resulting in inefficient processing of traveler reservations. Additional problems have often arisen due to the complexity and cost related to maintaining and updating hardware and software, especially on those systems where there are multiple GDS networks and desktop standards. In addition, there is often a lack of connectivity between travel offices that utilize different GDS systems or configurations due to the private autonomous nature of GDS networks. The autonomous nature of GDS networks lead to further inefficiencies such as the inability to deliver Internet access to the travel offices through the same system. Internet access is desired, as it would allow for the integration of traveler reservations with Internet fares and/or connection with vendor direct inventory.